All work, no play? Or can work be play?
Rob Freas, a sophomore at North Central College double majoring in computer science and Japanese, has worked a fair share of diverse jobs.
Hopping from landscaping to retail to food service to computer engineering to stocks, Freas has delved into many skill sets.
According to Freas, he did these jobs because having a large set of skills at his age is something he considers a good practice. Going from job to job is something that keeps him busy and helps him figure out what jobs potentially work or don’t work for him. Being an open and curious person, as well as someone eager to meet people and experience new things, makes this an ideal environment.
However, in the future, Freas says this practice may cause questions from employers.
So what do stocks, computer software, food service, Amazon associate, political campaigning and sales have in common?
The simple answer is nothing. But the more complicated answer is people.
According to Freas, being a “people person” is perhaps one of the most prominent parts of who he is. From a former Marine at his landscaping job over the summer to people his age at his first job at Portillo’s, he learned the lifestyle and qualities of different people.
“You need to learn how to deal with people who see things differently,” Freas said.
To some extent, each of these jobs connected him to people. Whether it be strangers or friends. Oftentimes his father or grandfather have impacted his career and life choices. He currently works as a software engineer due to a lifelong interest in computers and because it’s what his father does for a living.
Freas’ plan to ignite his interest in people and pave the way for new experiences is something urging him to live and work internationally.
Freas began his interest in traveling the world last summer. He went to visit his best friend in Copenhagen, Denmark, and also traveled to Germany and Sweden. During his D-Term trip, he went to Japan with the school. In the upcoming summer, he plans to go to Vietnam, Italy and back to Denmark.
“That’s why I want a job that sends me internationally, so I can continue feeling like I’m in a different environment and a fast-paced (life),” Freas said.
In many ways the future seems unclear, but Freas has a general idea.
“All I know is I want to work with people. I enjoy talking with people and working with people. I’m good at being thrown into situations like that due to my previous experience with customer service,” said Freas.
His interest in people and experiences also spans to his personal life. The connection Freas has with his friends, specifically with his friends on the ESports team here, defines a huge part of his life.
“I love my friends. If I didn’t have them in my life — and I didn’t for awhile and my life was much different then — if I don’t have that communication with them I would get so unmotivated. I really rely on them a lot,” Freas said.
